William and Viv

[dawsongirl]

Originally posted by NCVARick:
I'm sorry, I said that backwards. It should be the *R*-rated predecessor to his *G*-rated "The 'I Love Lucy' Book).

R-rated? Wow. I saw that book once at a antique sale but it was $45 and I figured since I already had the newer one, I'd pass.

[NCVARick]

Originally posted by dawsongirl:
R-rated? Wow. I saw that book once at a antique sale but it was $45 and I figured since I already had the newer one, I'd pass.

Yeah, the original book gave more explicit details on the behind-the-scenes stuff, and the interpersonal relationships. I read that book way back in 1978. I never actually owned a copy of it, but checked it out from the library (over and over and over again for months, by the way). I haven't read it since. But after I bought the new and retitled version years later, I realized all the juicy stuff had been deleted. One thing that sticks out in my memory is Vivian Vance's angry comment to Lucille Ball when she had to end her 1952 summer vacation way early and return to the set because of Lucille Ball's pregnancy: "I would tell you to go **** yourself, but I see Desi's already done that for you!" I was so shocked when I first read that. I just couldn't believe Ethel would say such a thing!

[Osh]

Wow. First of all, I didn't know the idea of a Mertzes spinoff was even entertained. Also, is that "R-rated" book still available, or is the "G-Rated" all i could get. I think the R-rated was probably nitpicking for any dirt that could be dug up about the 4. However, I do know that Lucy and Viv did become great friends, but I remember someone saying when Bill died in 1966 Viv TOASTED his death?! Either way, the show was perfect, you almost wanna have lived with them!

[NCVARick]

Originally posted by Osh:
Wow. First of all, I didn't know the idea of a Mertzes spinoff was even entertained. Also, is that "R-rated" book still available, or is the "G-Rated" all i could get. I think the R-rated was probably nitpicking for any dirt that could be dug up about the 4. However, I do know that Lucy and Viv did become great friends, but I remember someone saying when Bill died in 1966 Viv TOASTED his death?! Either way, the show was perfect, you almost wanna have lived with them!

That story about Vivian Vance tosting William Frawley's death upon hearing the news that he had died is in the biography written about her that came out a couple years ago ("The Other Side of Ethel Mertz"). Regarding Bart Andrews' book, I don't think the earlier version of the book was trying to exploit the cast members in anyway (like a Kitty Kelly bio, for example), but was just trying to tell an honest story. As to whether it's still available, I'm pretty sure it's long out of print. "The 'I Love Lucy'" book replaced that earlier version and contains corrections of many of the errors in the earlier book, so I don't think they would reprint the earlier one unless there were a corresponding correction of errors, which is doubtful. Among the more blatant errors I recall was a claim that "The Diet" was the first episode, and that Lucille Ball ad-libbed getting her foot stuck in the ballet barre in "The Ballet" (a claim Lucille Ball herself made, but which has been refuted by the actual script, which contained detailed instructions -- relevant portions of this script are contained in Jess and Gregg Oppenheimer's "Laugh, Luck and Lucy"), and that her nose catching fire in "L.A. at Last" was ad-libbed (Lucille Ball also claimed this, but the only "ad-libbing" that was done was her dunking her nose in the coffee cup, but she actually came up with that idea during dress rehearsal; by the time of filming it was decided to keep this gag in, so it wasn't really an ad-lib).

[Baldeagle00]

Ok ya ****'s i get the idea

[Fan of old shows]

Woah! they were just trying to be of service to ya! take it easy.